How to Search the Probate Register in England & Wales 2026

Updated: 07 June 2026 • Reading time: 7 min • By Richard Woods

Every grant of probate and letters of administration issued in England and Wales goes onto a public register. That register — the National Probate Calendar — is open to anyone, free of charge, and includes a copy of the will once it has been proved. Whether you are checking whether you are a beneficiary, tracing assets, or simply researching a relative's estate, this guide explains exactly how to search and what you will find.

What Is the Probate Register?

The probate register is the official record of every court order that authorises a personal representative to administer a deceased person's estate. In England and Wales this authority takes the form of a grant of probate (where there is a valid will) or letters of administration (where there is no will, or no executor is available).

Each entry on the register includes:

Deceased's full name and last known address
Date of death and date the grant was issued
Name and address of the executor or administrator
Gross estate value (total assets) and net estate value (after debts)
The will itself (if one was submitted), which becomes a public document

There is no restriction on who may inspect these records. No legal standing, no relationship to the deceased, and no court application is required.

How to Search Online (1996–Present)

HMCTS provides a free online search at the HMCTS Probate eFiling portal (probate.efile.justice.gov.uk). The steps are straightforward:

Go to the HMCTS online probate search.
Enter the deceased's full name and year of death.
If a grant has been issued, the entry will appear immediately with the details above.
To order a copy of the grant or will, follow the on-screen link and pay the £1.50 per document fee by debit or credit card.

The search covers grants issued from 1996 onwards. Results are usually available within a few working days of ordering. The portal is available 24 hours a day.

Searching Grants Before 1996

For deaths and grants before 1996 the online register does not apply. You have two options:

Visit the Principal Registry in person — First Avenue House, 42–49 High Holborn, London WC1V 6NP. The printed National Probate Calendar is available to inspect on the premises.
Write to the Principal Registryrequesting a calendar search. A fee applies (typically £20 for a 4-year search period as of 2026 — confirm on HMCTS's website).

Historical probate calendars from 1858 (when civil probate began) to 1996 are also available on genealogy platforms such as Ancestry and FindMyPast, which have digitised large portions of the Victorian and twentieth-century records.

What If No Grant Appears?

A blank result does not mean the person did not leave a will. Many estates never go through the probate process at all:

Jointly held assets pass automatically to the surviving owner by the right of survivorship — no grant needed.
Small bank accountsbelow each institution's internal threshold (often £25,000–£50,000) are released on production of the death certificate alone.
Trust assets and pension death benefits fall outside the estate and are paid directly to named beneficiaries.
Grant not yet issued — the application may be pending. Probate can take several months from submission.

To check whether a will exists independently of the register, search the National Will Registerat Certainty.co.uk, contact the deceased's solicitors, or check with banks where the will may have been lodged for safe keeping.

Why People Search the Register

Beneficiaries checking they have been notified of all assets and that the will has been correctly administered.
Potential claimants assessing whether to bring a claim under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975.
Creditors who need to identify the executor to submit a debt against the estate.
Genealogists and family historiansresearching relatives' estates.
Journalists and researchersreporting on or studying public figures' estates.
Solicitors and estate agents tracing title to property where the registered owner has died.

The Will as a Public Document

Many people do not realise that once a will is submitted for probate it loses its confidentiality. The will is read aloud and placed on the public record. If you wish to keep the contents of your estate private — for example, to avoid disclosing gifts to certain relatives — consider using a discretionary trust to hold assets, as trust distributions are not on the public record.

Alternatively, structuring assets so that they pass outside the estate (jointly held property, pension nominations, life insurance written in trust) avoids probate entirely and keeps those assets private.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the probate register and what does it contain?

The probate register (formally the National Probate Calendar) is a public record maintained by HMCTS — His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service — listing every grant of probate and letters of administration issued in England and Wales. Each entry shows the deceased's full name, last address, date of death, date the grant was issued, the name and address of the executor or administrator, and the gross and net value of the estate as declared. The will itself (if there is one) becomes a public document once a grant of probate is issued and can be inspected or copied by anyone. There is no restriction on who may search the register — no legal standing or relationship to the deceased is required.

How do I search for a grant of probate online?

HMCTS provides a free online search at probate.efile.justice.gov.uk — the same portal used to apply for probate. You can search by the deceased's full name and year of death. The search covers grants issued from 1996 onwards for England and Wales. If a grant has been issued you will see the entry immediately; if the estate is still being administered, or if no grant was required (for example a small estate or one held entirely in joint names), nothing will appear. For grants issued before 1996 you need to contact the Principal Probate Registry directly or use the Principal Registry's calendar search facility at the Principal Registry in London (First Avenue House, High Holborn, WC1V 6NP).

Can I get a copy of a deceased person's will?

Yes. Once a grant of probate is issued the will becomes a public document. You can order a copy of any proved will — and a copy of the grant — from HMCTS for a fee of £1.50 per document. Order online through the probate search portal or by post to any district probate registry. You do not need to give any reason or show any relationship to the deceased. The will is usually available within a few working days of ordering. Note: if no grant was issued (intestacy dealt with administratively, or small estate), there is no will on the public register because it was never proved in court.

Why would I want to search the probate register?

Common reasons include: confirming a relative's estate has been dealt with legally; checking whether you may have a claim under the will or under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975; identifying who is administering an estate so you can contact the executor; finding assets or property owned by the deceased that may not have been disclosed to you; genealogy and family history research; and professional reasons such as tracing assets for creditor claims or legal proceedings. Journalists, researchers, and curious members of the public all regularly use the register lawfully.

How long after death will a grant appear on the register?

Grants typically appear on the online register within a few days of being issued by HMCTS. The target processing time for straightforward applications is around 16 weeks from submission of a complete application, though backlogs and complex estates can extend this significantly. So from the date of death, expect the grant to appear on the register at the earliest 4–5 months later, and often longer. If a grant has not appeared 12 months after the date of death and you would have expected one to be needed, you can write to the Principal Registry to enquire whether an application is pending.

What if no grant appears — does that mean there was no will?

Not necessarily. Many estates never go through probate at all. If the estate consists mainly of jointly held assets that pass by survivorship, or if all accounts are below the individual institution's grant threshold (often £25,000–£50,000), or if assets are held in a trust or nominated pension, no grant may ever be issued. A will may exist and may have been signed and witnessed perfectly validly, but if it was never submitted to the probate registry it will not appear on the public register. To find out whether a will exists, check the National Will Register (Certainty.co.uk), contact the deceased's solicitors, or check with the deceased's bank where a will may have been lodged.

Is there a time limit for searching or a fee to use the register?

Searching the online register is free and can be done at any time — there is no time limit or deadline. The register is a permanent public record. Ordering copies of the grant or will costs £1.50 per document. For grants before 1996 a physical visit or written request to the Principal Registry may be needed, and a fee applies for calendar searches. There is no annual subscription or membership required — anyone with internet access can search free of charge.

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